Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Why I Believe the SOLT Statement

There are some folks out there who are still sticking up for John Corapi and saying that the charges have not been proven, that they may not be true, that he never took a vow of poverty, that SOLT superiors are jealous, that this is a freemason plot against Corapi, that this is a plot by the homosexuals against orthodox priests, that the Bishop and SOLT are trying to 'throw Corapi under a bus' etc. etc. etc.

Let me explain how the church works and why I believe the SOLT statement. First of all, the church authorities keep files on their clergy. Every complaint is filed away and not only kept, but kept private. It is kept private for all sorts of good reasons. First of all, no one should be convicted of wrong doing based on a private (and often anonymous complaint) Secondly, no one should be convicted of wrong doing simply because they might have fouled up and made a little mistake. Thirdly, wrong doing for a priest may not be criminal and while he might be a bad priest, he may not have done anything that bad. Catholics may lament what he's done, and he may have hurt people, but it may not be something he can be prosecuted for--or for that matter even disciplined by the church for.

When the church (and other authorities) keep these files they do so to keep an eye on things. Usually there is far more than meets the eye, and far more than they can disclose publicly for legal reasons and for reasons of discretion, fairness to the accused and the desire not to cause scandal and outrage amongst the faithful. I happen to know of several cases where the priest or religious were finally caught and brought to trial or disciplined by the church authorities and the thing they were disciplined for was only the tip of the iceberg. However, due to legal and disciplinary procedures, they were only tried on the particular case. People in the know, however, realized that the particular man had a great fat file back in the offices of all sorts of other complaints, hints, problems and red flags which on their own may not have been criminal or worth disciplining, but taken together made them know the man was guilty.

I knew an Anglican priest, for example, who worked as a spiritual director for private boarding schools. He used to turn up and stay overnight and enjoyed spending time with the boys when they were getting ready for bed, showering and changing. He would play tennis with them and shower with them afterward. Everybody knew that old Father so and so liked watching the boys get naked. There were complaints. He hung around the boys too much. People were uncomfortable. The files got fatter and the rumors were rampant. Still, hanging around boys changing at school isn't criminal. It's just not nice. Then he finally fell into further temptation and committed a sex act on a teenager. Then the police prosecuted. They questioned a friend of mine who knew the priest and said, "Father, believe us. We would not be prosecuting on just one accusation. We'd let the priest off with a warning. We're prosecuting because there are so many other stories and rumors and unsavory things happening,

However, they could not go public on any of the other stuff they had on him because it was circumstantial, rumors, complaints or simply not criminal even though it was creepy. I've known dioceses and schools and religious orders that have behaved like this too. They've kept the rumors and complaints under wraps because they honestly can't do much about it until the whole thing explodes. Once it does, they already know enough to take action.

To the public (who don't know all the details, and mustn't know all the details for the sake of fairness of procedure and the reputation of third parties) it sometimes seems like an accusation out of the blue, or an accusation of an innocent party. This is what happens, and if anything, the church has been guilty of holding off too long when there has been wrongdoing. She often did so for very good pastoral reasons, and then was accused of a cover up. Now perhaps the pendulum is swinging the other way and some people who are innocent are being accused.

That may be the case, but in Corapi's case there is just too much that is fishy for him to be innocent. His refusal to co operate with the investigation, his living on his own outside of community or church discipline, his payment of $100,000 to keep the woman (and other employees) quiet, his running a for profit enterprise that has brought him great wealth, his refusal to obey his religious superiors and most of all his public renunciation of his priestly ministry---all this is too much.

One can give the benefit of the doubt only so far. Still, this is not for me to condemn the man. My opinion is that he is guilty as charged, but if I am wrong and he is proved innocent then praise God and I'll eat humble pie. Even if I think he is guilty, I still feel compassion for him and remind myself and everyone that we are all sinners and let's offer up a prayer for him for he is our brother.

UPDATE: Some have asked why SOLT didn't rein in Fr Corapi years ago. Again, we don't know the facts, we don't know what went on behind closed doors. It is very possible that SOLT and the bishops had a file on John Corapi that was getting bigger and bigger every year, but that they really couldn't do very much. Everyone thinks that 'obedience' in the church is a cut and dried military sort of obedience. The religious superior or bishop says, "Jump" and his inferiors say "How high?". I'm afraid in today's church this just ain't so. Instead religious superiors and bishops favor 'consultation' and 'seek to do what is best for each person in their care.' This is admirable and probably pays off in the long run, but what we don't have is instant obedience and the ability to rein someone in if need be. This is especially true if the man in question is canny and aware of the battlefield and ready to fight for his 'rights' and position.

I know of a diocesan priest, for example, who is notoriously bad tempered. He is a bully and an autocrat. He is arbitrary in his judgments, rude and arrogant. He also lives high off the parish. He wields the parish credit card with incredible indulgence. The parish has bought him a posh rectory and he has all the luxuries he wants. Nobody reins him in because nobody can. He's smart enough that he does everything according to the rule book. He never breaks diocesan financial regulations, keeps track of everything, watches his back and says all the right things to all the right people. He's corrupt and venal and disagreeable and there ain't nothin' nobody can do about it. If the Bishop were to command this fellow to give up his big wealthy parish and move to Snotville he'd probably refuse to go and take his case all the way to Rome where (you guessed it) he has some buddies in the right office who will take care of him.

These are the realities and saying that SOLT should have reined in Fr Corapi years ago is easy to say, but hard to do.

40 comments:

I have worked as an Internal Affairs investigator and this sounds similar to the way police officers are treated. IAD investigators are routinely criticized for what is seen as unfair treatment of officers, but the department at large rarely knows the whole story.

Father, I agree. Like cmalexander I've worked in investigation and although I have a deep devotion to the Priesthood, what SOLT says, what Fr. Corapi has said about himself in recent weeks, etc...yeah...he doesn't come out looking good.

As much as I WANT to believe Fr. Corapi, I can't, because he provides too much testimony against himself and renders himself without crediblity in the face of both the accusations and his own Order's response to him.

An innocent person is obedient to their own chosen authorities; an innocent person does not make direct pre-emptive strikes, and an innocent person does not mince words - Fr. Corapi minced words, slandered his accuser before the charges were public, and attacked his Superiors on all sides.

The fact is, were I his attorney, I would have ordered his silence, for by his actions and statements, Fr. Corapi has rendered himself indefensible.

It pains me to say it...I love him, I love his explanation of the Faith, his Catechesis.

But He has been taken in by the Enemy and is the embodiment, now, of the goal of Screwtape Letters. If only CS Lewis were his Spiritual Director....if only he reviewed his own work and took his own advice to heart....

It is in dangerously bad taste (and perhaps even potentially sinful) to make judgements about people's culpability in certain instances. Best left to those who are commissioned by their authority to do that (bishops, superiors of religious communities, legal authorities).

We CAN sit in judgment of those who build cults of personality around themselves. Big egos are fraught with danger.

This story will run and run. Whatever we think we know, we are not in possession of the full facts and nor should we be.I never followed Fr. Corapi but many did. He may well have brought souls to God. We cannot deny that many out found great comfort and solace in his ministry.There are those who will continue to support him and refuse to believe anything other than good about this man. They must be confused and hurt and probably in turmoil. They need our prayers. As for the statement by SOLT. Sometimes it is best to keep a dignified silence on such serious matters. Being that they are a Religious Order. One has to wonder why they did not apply a little damage limitation and reign Fr. Corapi in before things really got out of hand. Or was it a question of 'Give him enough rope and he will hang himself'. Hang himself he did. There are no winners here. Once again this scandal will reflect badly on The Catholic Church and most especially its Priesthood.

Regarding the question of whether SOLT should have "kept a dignified silence": it seems like they did for quite some time. Fr. Corapi has been so public in his statements recently that I don't see how SOLT really had any choice but to say something like this.

As for reigning Corapi in, I imagine that there's a certain amount of discussion in certain quarters about how to keep something like this from happening again in the future.

In their defense (based on no actual expertise, but anyway...), they are a relatively young order, and it looks like they were experimenting with their rule initially. By the time it became apparent that something was amiss with Corapi, he may have been a big enough name that they were having trouble doing anything about the situation. (It does seem like they had been trying to persuade him to come back to living in community, without success.)

I pray for Fr. Corapi, and for his many detractors. I have no knowledge to bring regarding any assertions, much less any investigations. From my own viewing of Fr. Corapi's teachings on EWTN, I have taken much that was good. We all have our weaknesses and our failings. I forgive Fr. Corapi, and I forgive also those who leaped to judgment. I hope the latter will indulge in a good deal of prayer, for their own good.

Father Longenecker, I am happy that you are at peace with your opinion that Father Corapi is guilty as charged. On the other hand I am greatly troubled by your account of the Anglican priest who was allowed to coninne to lust after the boys and no one put a stop to this until he raped a teenager. All simply because his behaviour was not criminal, just "not nice."Even after centuries of scandals and abuses, sexual and other, by bishops, cardinals and priests, we are still trying accused religious with ancient ways. We still do not have in place within the church, some sort of court or system, made up of legally knowledgeable people who can consistently and fairly try accused priests. Instead we are pretty much left to judge for ourselves, as you have, whether the accused is guilty or not.SOLT has not acted reponsible and with dignity. Instead they have issued a "hit and run" rambling, vindictive and hurtful release full of "most likely" opinions.Father Corapi has been a dedicated teacher of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He has taught the catechism as it is written without fear of offending anyone. Could it be possible that he in doing so, has stepped on some big toes?Hundreds of thousands have benefited from his teachings, and many lukewarm catholics have returned to the catholic church because of his teachings. As for the "priests housekeeper's" comment, that those who have listened to Father Corapi's sermons are "confused, hurt and in trumoil," I disagee. We are intelligent people who love to listen to the word of God being taught as He meant it to be taught and as Father Corapi has been blessed to teach it.I for one refuse to stand in judgement of Father Corapi. Let's pray for all involved and let God be his judge.

Ruth, the story of the Anglican priest is disturbing, but I should clarify that he did not rape anyone, but was involved in a lesser sex act which was consensual, but the teenager was under age.

As to his other behaviors, what he was doing was creepy and wrong, but not illegal. It was therefore impossible to act against him in any way other than a warning. He had received such warnings, and clearly thought himself above them.

As to Fr Corapi, I have expressed my opinion. There are too many disconcerting things about his behaviors and response to think him innocent. However, if he is and I am wrong, I will rejoice.

"That may be the case, but in Corapi's case there is just too much that is fishy for him to be innocent. His refusal to co operate with the investigation, his living on his own outside of community or church discipline, his payment of $100,000 to keep the woman (and other employees) quiet, his running a for profit enterprise that has brought him great wealth, his refusal to obey his religious superiors and most of all his public renunciation of his priestly ministry---all this is too much."

None of this proves Fr. Corapi's guilt or innocence. How do we know that SOLT aren't just trying to cover their own butts? The way that they SOLT leadership waited to release the statement after Father Corapi defended himself publicly is highly suspicious to me. I have been a victim of being scapegoated by higher ups within a Catholic university so I'm not so quick to judge or assume that Father Corapi is guilty of the accusations.

And through all of this we must remember that God works through broken vessels. A person can do much good, and still not be a good person. Doing good and wonderful works does not indicate holiness. Sometimes we forget these "small" truths.

"SOLT's fact-finding team has acquired information from Fr. Corapi's e-mails, various witnesses, and public sources that, together, state that, during his years of public ministry:"

Is this a finding of guilt? Did SOLT actually see Corapi's e-mails or is SOLT relying on hearsay? Do all the witnesses agree or are they divided in testimony? Are the public sources accurate and unified or in dispute?

Trial by blog is a curious thing. Personally I would prefer trial by Canon Law.

> I know of a diocesan priest, for example, who is notoriously bad tempered. He is a bully and an autocrat. He is arbitrary in his judgments, rude and arrogant. He also lives high off the parish. He wields the parish credit card with incredible indulgence. The parish has bought him a posh rectory and he has all the luxuries he wants. Nobody reins him in because nobody can. He's smart enough that he does everything according to the rule book. He never breaks diocesan financial regulations, keeps track of everything, watches his back and says all the right things to all the right people. He's corrupt and venal and disagreeable and there ain't nothin' nobody can do about it. If the Bishop were to command this fellow to give up his big wealthy parish and move to Snotville he'd probably refuse to go and take his case all the way to Rome

This makes me somewhat less enthusiastic about throwing money in the basket on Sunday morning.

I have read the books and pamphlets of the late Fr. Maciel. I have listended to the sermons of Fr. Corapi. Does their human failings in sins of the flesh make their prior works incorrect or bad? That is, if St. Augustine was reverse in his life, wrote the Summa first and then had an immoral life, would the Summa be any less a great religious book? Do you understand my question, Father? How do we reconcile prior good works with current immoral behavior.

"I'm afraid in today's church this just ain't so. Instead religious superiors and bishops favor 'consultation' and 'seek to do what is best for each person in their care.'"

Father, this doesn't seem to me an excuse for SOLT's neglicence. Rather an admission of their ownshortcomings.

It takes two to tango and your words confirm that you think (and I agree with you) that this tango has been danced by the SOLT in every step and that they have been accessory to father Corapi's sins. Which is even worse because of his past history and their duties towards him.

Father, Thank you again for clarifying so many things about this. I cannot help but wonder that if the Casey Anthony case had not captured the media and so many Americans, to the point of every other piece of news being relegated to a few sound bites, Fr. Corapi's sad story might have hit the front pages and the TV news with yet another "scandal" of the Catholic Church priesthood!

I'm sorry, Father, I can't agree. The Anglican priest who was watching boys in the shower should have been removed before he could hurt anybody. The autocratic priest should be removed from the position where he could be a stumbling block for souls. No one should be considered to have a right to be a priest; it is a privilege. In today's environment, legalities will not, and should not, serve as an excuse for the failure to exercise common sense.

" . . . the story of the Anglican priest is disturbing, but I should clarify that he did not rape anyone, but was involved in a lesser sex act which was consensual, but the teenager was under age."

Father, anytime there is sexual contact between an adult and an under age person, it is NOT consensual. The adult has the power and the teenager does not. You clearly do not understand what sexual abuse really is. Adult sexual abusers "groom" the young person, sometimes for months, even years, before making their move. This can look like consensual sex but it most certainly is not.

Your blog post was good - that comment was off the mark. Read up on the subject, please. You are a good priest - reading up on this subject will make you a better and more understanding one. God bless you!

Jack, the Anglican priest I'm talking about--it was 25 years ago. Nowadays nobody with any sense is anywhere near shower rooms with kids. Back then it was different. Most people didn't think there was anything wrong with gang showers. Today, however, it would be treated differently and the guy would have been called on it.

The autocratic priest? What are you going to do--pull him from his parish just because people don't like his style? That wouldn't be fair.

1) we know for an absolute fact that Matt Sprinkle tried selling a rosary of Corapi's for $5000 on eBay. We do not know the veracity of his claim against Corapi, but that speaks ill of his character.

2) We know for an absolute fact that the former bishop over SOLT said there was no vow of poverty. This contradicts the SOLT statement explicitly. Their claim to all of his money came right after we won a cool $3 million in the lawsuit. That's beyond suspicious.

The two *facts* above are damaging. The two *implications* deducted from those facts are DAMNING.

And need to be addressed. I await your next post with bated breath, Father.

Corapi’s statement is carefully crafted to look like he is rebutting SOLT’s accusations, but he does nothing of the kind. Anyone with a brain can see right through this. This is very evasive and vague. He doesn’t directly respond to any of the accusations. Looks like the response of a guilty person.

1. He doesn’t deny the millions he has and the many luxurious possessions, which is a gross violation of the promise of poverty. He merely says he was financially independent. That still doesn’t give him an excuse for his excesses and breaking the promise of poverty.

2. He evades the sexual impropriety accusations by limiting his response to one woman. He avoids the charges of cohabitation, sexting and having a more recent mistress completely. Very slick.

3. He says the reason for the payoff in the non-disclosure agreement was not to silence anyone, which is dubious at best. He does not deny that he paid or offered the $100,000.

4. His explanation about his resignation is lame and rings hollow. He could have had a fair process and given his side of the story if he had released the witnesses from the non-disclosure agreement. He purposely ruined the process and stallled the investigation himself.

5. Then he immediately gets back to business marketing mode, gives a false impression of what his choices are and promotes himself.

6. He doesn’t address the grave charges of sacramental impropriety, he does not address the drunk driving incident of 1999, which is public record.

Perhaps SOLT will feel compelled to release the emails and sexting records, as well as his real estate titles and records of his other luxurious merchandise. He is declared not fit for ministry, but his followers ignore the obvious and blindly follow him over the cliff. He is taking his followers for fools and continues to play them like a fiddle.

The comment from All Numbers has been posted pretty much everywhere. Busy fingers.

I agree with you Fr. Longenecker -- although, like you, I would be happy if he were found innocent after all. His refusal to return to his community after being told to is, for me, the most telling bit. Mother Theresa founded an order but she didn't throw the old one to the winds to do so -- she had a long and in many cases disagreeable time of it. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal went through a long period of leaving their Capuchin order to form a new one. It's not bad to leave one religious community for another, or to found another. But just chucking the whole thing and claiming everyone is out to get you is either a lie or a delusion. It's a sad mess.

I'm sure you are right about SOLT. It is no easy thing to rein someone in if he has been off the path for a long time. The longer and further off the path one gets, the harder it is to turn back. Fr. Corapi could return tomorrow and I would be glad, just as I'm glad when anyone comes back to the Church. But right now he's choosing life as a sheep dog over life as a priest of Christ. I am less than impressed.

Before I became a Catholic, I attended an Anglican church with a corrupt priest. Letters were written by numerous parishioners over a period of nearly ten years. The bishop was very aware of the priest’s actions, even went as far as to interview parishioners that had concerns, but nothing was ever done about him. Our family finally decided we couldn’t continue to attend a church with such a corrupt “shepherd to the sheep”. We loved our parish and our church family and it was extremely difficult for us to leave. But God used that experience to draw me to the Catholic Church. I felt very much like Joseph in the Old Testament (Genesis 50); he meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

I learned from that experience I would never put my priest on a pedestal or expect perfection of him. Perhaps I became a cynic, but I refuse to give my complete trust to my priest. I honor him as the authority placed over me by God, but he is a mere man and is prone to sin. I put my trust in Christ’s Church, because the Holy Spirit guides it. That’s the beauty of our Catholic faith; man (or the gates of hell) cannot destroy His Church.

I also learned that I must pray for my priest, along with all the clergy. It is our duty as parishioners to pray for those in authority over us; the Scriptures command us and our Catholic faith compels us. The clergy endure pressures and temptations that are unknown to most of us and they desperately need our prayers. I can’t expect God to work in their lives if I don’t ask Him to do so.

St. Michael, defend them in battle and be their defense against wickedness and the snares of the devil. Amen.

One reason to believe SOLT's statement is that it is embarrassing to SOLT: it's an admission that, for whatever reason, they were not able to rein in Corapi.

That's why the metaphor "throwing him under the bus" doesn't work: They're not sacrificing him to save their own reputation; they're exposing their own failure in the process of exposing his apparent wrongdoing. That shows some fortitude.

Two thoughts come to mind as I read this:1. I'm as shocked as anyone by what appears to be corroborating evidence of wrongdoing by John Corapi. HOWEVER, his statement from today(?) made me wonder if we've made numerous assumptions that're out in left field.Noone on the internet seems to truthfully know what SOLT and Fr Corapi had agreed upon prior to this mess. It's always possible that SOLT, themselves, have violated some statute--and therefore Corapi's rights--with this investigative team. While we're all thinking he SHOULD have lots of accountability to them, even this article comments that often, the modern Church has much less pull with members than we think.We may ultimately wind up watching SOLT get egg all over their faces by trying to prod Corapi into coming to heel by canonical means..when they should be using civil law instead. His would not be the first occasion that Church officials wound up mangling someone's life by means of failing to use normal procedural methods. Unusual yes. But his ministry had never been "normal". I can't imagine why anyone would be shocked that this could be VERY complicated.

2. In the case of the pastor/priest the article mentions, I think it plausible that the Church needs to be a bit less reticent. If a man takes a vow or promise of poverty, but Joe Public can tell that he's not living thus, there're means by which such a thing can be proven and addressed. It may not appear to be the kindest thing to do, but a financial audit by an accountant, the IRS, or an independent investigative team might discern worthwhile proof of wrongdoing. I understand that such a thing might appear quite nasty, but in all seriousness, I'd say the man inflicts scandal upon the community by his actions. Seems to me the diocese might even be culpable of neglect before God if the bishop or his staff don't take action.

When someone does something not entirely ethical or moral with money, there's almost always some trace left somewhere. In some cases, it might be a simple matter of discerning one single mistake to unravel the deck of cards.

Let me start by saying I am not a catholic although that is the church I went to as a child. I am a Christian however, through and through. I have enjoyed EWTN for a few years now and especially Fr. Corapi. While we differ on certain theological points(this is not about our differences)I like his style and no-nonsense approach to Christianity. He ruffled a lot of feathers by not being "politically Correct" and his "Tell it like it is"point of view. I am sure he angered many "special interest"groups as well as people in his own order/Church. That being said there are many who would love to silence him, period. We already know that the enemy attacks those who are against him and he does it in many ways. Is he truly innocent? Only God and Fr. Corapi knows that answer. Is SOLT acting poorly in their investigation? No. In my opinion they are doing exactly what should be done in these cases. The reason the RCC got in such hot water in the past sex scandals was due to it's Inaction. To get angry because they have learned a lesson on how to handle these cases in ridiculous. Let them do what they must do to either find him guilty or clear his name. Will this damage his reputation? Yes but what is worse, besmirching his reputation or getting yet MORE lawsuits and accusations from a Main stream media that already has it's gun sights on ALL Chritianity and especially the RCC. What we as followers of the Lord jesus Christ should do is to pray for him, Not judge him. We are Christians, yes but we are also very much human. We are not infallible. Only God is perfect, we are not. We MUST forgive him if he in fact is guilty. That is one thing we must do. Thanks for allowing me to add my opinion to this tragic matter.

For the sake of his own wellbeing and the scandal he is causing the Catholic community, Corapi needs to exit public life immediately and undergo therapy. We are watching this man fall into a deep hole as well as wound the Body of Christ. People who are close to him must intervene or this will end in tragedy.

Who knows what the truth of the matter is. I saw Fr. C in person last fall and was underwhelmed (which in itself was a disappointment since I have enjoyed his preaching). I thought the stories he told by way of examples from his life were prurient and inappropriate given his status as a priest. Frankly, he talked about himself too darn much.

Now, I must say that I don't care if he is guilty. I decided already that I would never listen to him again. He has abandoned his priesthood, but seems to still want to set himself up as a pastor over and against the bishops (black sheepdog, indeed). He wants to be a "pastor" without any of the accompanying duties or with any authority over him.

I do not believe believe many things esp of secular news bit as we are suppose to livw with as little as possible as christians it seems John Corapi owns many items unbecoming to a priest let alone a christian Catholic....when he defends a pretty large pleasure boatand 100,000,000,000 dollors of land,sportscares ext so says the Catholic news agency...when i am told by my Church, poverty is what we are to imitate as in CHRIST in a nasty cave with the sober of donkeys for a bed and a man who preaches incarnation...we are lied to by the Church? No by a fallen man...much like Lucifer. but we are not his Judge CHRIST THE ONE HE INSULTS WILL BE

When I heard Fr. Corapi last summer in San Antonio, I left with two clear but distinct feelings.

First, I felt disappointed because there was no coherent topic to the four talks (5 if you count his homily). They sounded like the ramblings of a confused old man.

Second, I felt a sense of fear that something was not right in his life, and that a torrent was soon to come. When all of the news broke last spring, and reading all the updates, I was not in the least bit surprised. In fact, I expected it.

Here's the reason why: much of his talk was about himself, the great works he had done, and how others were persecuting him. It sounded to me that he had become too caught up in his celebrity. He also talked at some length about how people had accused him of sexual impropriety because he had friends who were women (and likewise, asked if he was gay because he had friends who were men). I left with the sense that he was hiding something.

All of this was sheer intuition, and I pushed the thoughts away, said a prayer in hope that my thoughts were way off, but feared they might be true. And now, it looks as if it has happened.

I know a lot of people are asking, "Where do we go from here?" and "Should we continue to use his material?"

Yes and no. We must remember to separate the man from the message. His message of salvation is one we all must hear. He needs to hear it himself. But his personal story will no longer have the effect it once had, except on Fr. Corapi himself. In my opinion, it is OK to use his material that preaches the truth, and to cast away that which preaches himself. But that should be the case.

It always makes me cringe every time there is a new “scandal” minor or mayor, from a prominent Catholic figure, and the damage it does to Mother Church. On a related note, I find Corapi’s new ”black sheepdog” imagery disturbing and rather creepy, and the “fire sale” of his products at his website is tasteless, and makes him look more like a businessman than a priest. In my humble opinion, I think Bishops, and Superiors of religious orders, have to be very careful as to how much “free reign” they give particular priests to go around setting their own agendas, traveling by themselves, speaking frequently to large crowds, getting money, etc. For the sake of their souls! Unfortunately, given our fallen nature, I can see how someone in that position can easily fall into the sin of Pride, which is after all, the “original” sin, and the door for all other sins. It is partly our fault that we sometimes treat charismatic priests like Rock Stars and we confuse the messenger with the message. This is what happened to “Father” Alberto Cutie in my community, and the reaction of many of his "followers" was very similar: denial, followed by rationalization, and blaming the Church Hierarchy. It is all a consequence of the V.I.P. (Very Important Priest) syndrome. We need to pray really hard for our priests, that they may be more like Jesus, and always practice the virtues of humility, obedience, and POVERTY. In omnibus caritas.